


Checkmate

by amanderrpanderr



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Suicide, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-11-02 08:57:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20691476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amanderrpanderr/pseuds/amanderrpanderr
Summary: 27 years later, Stan Uris gets a call.





	Checkmate

At 7:00 pm, on May 28th, Stan Uris told his wife he was going to take a bath. Unbeknownst to her, it would be the last time she would see her husband alive.

It had started with a phone call. As soon as he hears Mike's voice on the other end, time seems to stand still. Memories from his past that he so desperately wants to forget, are front center. 

"IT's come back," he says shakily to Mike. It's a statement, not a question.

Mike ends the call pretty quickly. His last words to Stan are echos of the promise. Stan rests his phone back on the table. His mind is in scrambles. He wonders if the other have doubts like he does. No, he thinks, they're stronger than I am. They'll surely go back to face IT. They'll keep their promise. But him? He knows he can't go back. He's still too afraid. If he was to go back, he'd be setting them up for failure. But he couldn't do nothing. Stan would need to make sure they had a chance to survive.

_There's so little time...___

_ __ _

_ __ _

He begins to pack up his bird puzzle. He's careful to put each piece back individually. Stan's heart is pounding, sweat pouring down his face.

"Stan". 

Patty is leaning over him. By the concerned look on her face, he figures she had been calling his name for sometime.

"Yes," he manages to croak. Stan refuses to look at her.

"Who was that on the phone?"

"No one," he says too quickly. Patty is studying him, obviously not fooled by this, "An old friend," he adds moments later. 

"You're shaking". 

Stan looks down. He's holding the puzzle box which jingles in his hands. He turns and places it on the shelf behind him, "Just wasn't expecting to hear from him". It's a lie. Despite what he said to her, and what he was trying to tell himself, he had always known someone would call him back. Stan brings his arms tight to his side. He uncurls one hand, eyes starring at the scar on the palm.

Patty places her hand in his scarred one, breaking him out of his thoughts, "Maybe you should go lie down," she says, gently squeezing his hand, "I can bring you some water or aspirin,"

He slides his hand out from hers, "Maybe rest would be good," he says softly before heading upstairs.

But Stan does not go to their bedroom. He goes to his office, locking the door behind him. Immediately he heads to his desk, removing some paper and envelopes. He has work to do.

He decides to write to Patty first. He owes her an explanation, an apology. Stan hopes she is able to forgive him. Towards the end, he asks his wife for one last favor.

Then he writes to the Losers. It's the same letter for each of them so it doesn't take him long to write. He wastes no time searching for their addresses either. Nearly three months before the call, he had come across one of Bill's books. He had never read any of them before, but he seemed to be drawn to this one. He bought the book, showing it to Patty as soon as he had gotten home. It was rare for Stan to talk so much about his childhood friends. But as soon as he had talked to Patty about Bill, he disclosed about the others to. Then he had decided to discover what his old friends were up to. At the time, he didn't understand why he had the sudden urge to do so. Now, it made sense. 

Stan seals all the letters. He stacks them neatly on the center of his desk, with Patty's at the top of the pile. He then makes his way to his bedroom, where Patty is there waiting. She has a glass of water in one hand.

"I thought you had gone to bed,"

"I was but-" he begins to grab a towel from their closet, "but then I thought I might take a bath,". 

Patty looks puzzled, eyes drifting to the clock, "This late?" she asks, placing the water on one of the nightstands. Her husband is a creature of habit. It wasn't like him to change his routine. Something had to have been wrong, "Stanley are you sure you're feeling alright? Did the person on the ph-"

"I just think a bath will help me clear my head," he interrupting her and even he can hear in his voice that he sounds a little harsh. Patty opens her mouth to say something but Stan suddenly goes to her, covering her lips with his. He wishes they can stay like this forever. His heart aches as he pulls away, "I love you," he says, brushing a bit of hair from her face.

She's starring at him, her eyes look glassy, "I love you too," she says. She wants to say something else to him, he can tell.

Stan leans in one last time and gently kisses her forehead. _Goodbye._

Excusing himself, he heads to their bathroom across the hall. He shuts the door to the bathroom. Stan goes to the tub and turns the faucet on. Then he removes his clothes, folding them neatly. He places his glasses on top of the pile. He stands over the tub, looking at his reflection in the water. 

He just lies in the tub for awhile, long enough for the water to get cold. Once again, he's starring at the scar. He can see himself and the other losers standing in a circle. Bill steps forward. Stan can hear almost hear him.

_Swear._

And Bill slices his hand, solidifying the oath.

"I swear Bill," Stan whispers, tears streaming down his face. He hopes Bill and the rest of his friends will forgive him. But he knows if they have any shot of winning, he needs to take himself out of the game. He needs to make the ultimate play. A risk. He lifts the razor, cutting deep into both of his wrists. Blood pours out instantly, staining the water of the tub. Then, as if almost in a trance, he takes some of his blood and writes IT on the wall behind him. When he finishes, he slides back down into the tub. He leans his arms out over the side and closes his eyes. The last sound he hears is the droplets of blood that plunk to the floor.

But the last thing he remembers are the Losers. And he soars.


End file.
